My Baby Has a Mild Rash

Updated on February 15, 2010
M.M. asks from San Pablo, CA
16 answers

Hi!
My 5 month old has been having a light rash on his upper chest and armpit area. His ped told us not to use any of the johnson&johson's products, so we stopped using them. And since Wednesday, we started bathing him with unscented Dove soap and put Cetaphil cream all over his body. The next day, his rash was even worst.
What could've be? the soap? or the cream?
Have any of you guys had this problem before?

M.

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So What Happened?

THANK YOU all for your inputs :O)
So we determined that it was Dove and Cetaphil. We have to rinse it off very well before we get him out of the tub and only use a small amount of cream on his body.
The cream has definetely helped his dry skin
So thank you all for the advices, this website works great

xoxo
M.

Featured Answers

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M.B.

answers from San Francisco on

It was the Dove. My son can use that now but we had to use Cetaphil Soap and lotion for awhile. He also ended up with a Milk allergy but try the Cetaphil Soap first.

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J.F.

answers from San Francisco on

My daughter would have skin rashes and we switched to a non-soap cleanser like Cetaphil cleanser, which seemed to do the trick.

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C.G.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi there! My son's skin is also really sensitive and has had quite a few rashes. If he's teething and drooling a bunch, that would sometimes cause a rash on his chest. Our miracle, cure-any-ailment cream has been California Baby Calendula cream. Its expensive, but it has cured nearly every rash he's ever had. Good luck!

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J.J.

answers from San Francisco on

Are you also using unscented laundry detergent? Did you feed him any new foods? Do you later him in cream-let his skin breath. I also have used dove unscented for my daughter from day one & she is now 19 months-never had a bad reaction. Plus I use the costco brand unscented liquid-'green' laundry detergent....& don't put any cream on her-pretty much ever....How about also giving him some naked time a few times each day till it clears up...again to let the skin breath. Good luck. Whenever my daughter has had an irritation it is worse after the bath until she is dried & when it goes away.

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A.M.

answers from Fresno on

Maybe it could be a heat rash,babies are always warmer than us and even when its cold weather they can still get one. I came across a web site that was saying which lotions are better to use and Nivea was one of the best because they didn't put as much chemicals and irritants in it. Cetaphil was one that had alot but you wouldn't think so because it cost so much. When my son would break out in a rash that know one could explain I would sometime try a diaper rash cream and it worked.

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J.B.

answers from San Francisco on

Hello M.,
My son had this problem with J&J products as well. We were told by his pediatrician to switch to the Dove unscented soap (which you have done), only bathe him every other day and to skip lotions after the bath. If you think he needs to be moisturized, I would use some aquaphor or unscented baby oil. Good luck and hopefully your baby's rash goes away soon.
Jenn

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A.P.

answers from Portland on

well, my rule is don't use anything on your kid with ingredients that you can't easily read or know what they are. All of those products have very unnatural ingredients in them & he's probably reacting to them. Try Burt's Beeswax bodywash (tear free) or aother brand from a health food store. If that doesn't work, you may want to check his diet.

J.H.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Hello! Has he ate anything different lately, my daughter was allergic to turkey and got a rash from it. Her doc. also said that "viral rashes" are common to but im not sure what that is from. Huggies has some natural baby soaps that dont have all the colors and fragrances. hope it gets better fast!

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S.B.

answers from Redding on

Dear M.,
I'm wondering if it's heat rash. My baby boy was a very sweaty sleeper so I found that keeping him in cooler, loose fitting clothing helped a great deal even in winter. Sometimes putting creams on a rash clogs the skin pores and doesn't let it breathe. I would try going creamless and see what happens. Also, after a bath, make sure his skin is completely dry before putting clothes on him. Wrap him in a loose non itchy towel or blanket until you are certain there's no moisture, especially in the armpit area.
My son wasn't allergic to anything but he got a rash everytime I bundled him up too much, especially at night. Yeast loves warm, moist areas so you don't want to end up with that.
I hope this helps and his rash goes away soon.

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W.M.

answers from Sacramento on

Our kids get this rash when they go swimming, or when they sweat a lot.
The cholorine in the water makes it worse. One thing to remember don't use two new products at the same time. It makes it harder to determine what the cause of the rash is.

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A.C.

answers from Sacramento on

try mustella for allegies or baby aveeno sensitive body wash--

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S.T.

answers from Modesto on

My children have all been sensitive to J&J products when they were small. i have a 4yr old, a 1.5yr old, and a 3month old and im finally able to use J&J bath stuff for my 4 yr old and doesnt bother him now. I have honestly used EVERYTHING out there and have found that Baby Aveeno products, the sensitive works well. Try avoiding any creams all together, as your child's skin may react worse when you add creams to skin. I usually put baby in bath, mix up some water and some baby aveeno soap, and scrub skin gently to clean then i rinse em really well and get em outta the water. Make sure the skin gets totally dry though. I have found one moisturizer cream for babies that i use all the time and it does calm. Its baby aveeno soothing moisture relief. Has oatmeal in it i believe. I hope this help, baby aveeno products are a product to stand by, does great with lil ones skin

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K.D.

answers from Dallas on

Do you use fabric softener or scented detergent? If so, start using something like all free and clear, and no dryer sheets when you dry his stuff.
Also, don't bathe him more than 2-3 times a week bathing can be quite irritating for sensitive ones. Hm...oh, buy unscented wipes as well, then you should have all your bases covered besides a possible food allergy! Good luck!

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C.C.

answers from Tampa on

My son gets eczema and we use Aveeno baby wash (on his hair and body) always in the bath, and then I follow up with the Aveeno baby lotion when he's having an outbreak. Aveeno so far has been the only thing gentle enough for him.

Good luck!

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M.R.

answers from Philadelphia on

Well, that's not the usual body areas for eczema, but the doctor's advice was good, assuming that was the problem. I agree with the poster who says to check your detergent and fabric softener for fragrance. I have a little one who was extraordinarily allergic to fragrance (I couldn't even use perfumed lotion and hold him), and we use everything fragrance-free (which is different than unscented, by the way, unscented can still contain fragrance ingredients). I recommend Aquaphor baby wash and also the Eucerin Oil wash (which is an adult product) if you're looking for unscented. I like Cetaphil, but if there's any chance of a nut allergy, you might need something else.

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T.B.

answers from San Francisco on

It could be many things. One think to think about is food allergies, if you're breast feeding or not. www.foodallergy.org is a good place to start learning about food allergies. My son had several "heat rashes" before he was diagnosed at 6 months. At that time he had an obvious reaction to avocados. You may have to push the MD, I did.

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